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Abstract

Now, if I want something in a hurry, I have to go a little further and deal with strangers.</p><p id="39c9">Bookshops, cafés, corner stores. So many places that struggle to compete with the big chains and online sales.</p><p id="081b">I guess the answer’s clear. Without customers, these places can’t stay open. The owner might work for free, hoping for better times but the rent has to be paid, the power bill, the internet, the water and utilities, all sorts of regular expenses need to be kept up.</p><p id="9099">I can pop in from time to time, buy something small — or place an order for something big — chat with the owner, and keep the place ticking over.</p><h2 id="89b4">The same goes for Medium in a big way</h2><p id="d102">Sure, you pay your five bucks a month — or a bit more if you are a Friend of Medium — and you can write away as much as you want, hoping for enough readers to “pay the rent”. It needs a bit of regular writing and posting to make your money back but if you are any good at all, you’ll do it month to month.</p><p id="e700">Rather selfish, though?</p><p id="0278">What about all the other writers out there? The ones you read regularly. Or used to.</p><p id="a5a5">Are they paying the rent? Are they struggling?</p><p id="b8bc">Could be. You might never know until one day you go looking for one of their old articles you bookmarked and find they haven’t written anything in six months.</p><p id="065f">Here’s a thought. If you have a spare minute or two, go and look up the writers you follow — you’d think Medium would feed you their stories on a regular basis but nooooo — and see what they have been up to recently.</p><p id="9a3c">Pay the rent. Clap, highlight, comment.</p><p id="90d2">Unless you are reading one of the big accounts — and they have no trouble meeting expenses, for sure! — you’ll usually get a bit of friendly neighbour interaction from a like-minded soul. Another writer at the coal face, swinging a keyboard.</p><p id="7753">They might have some gossip, some tips and traps, some news you can use. They might come visit you back, comment on one of your

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posts.</p><p id="0ee1">You are helping to build a community. You’ll naturally gravitate to writers you like, or are useful, or have ideas you can steal, um refine for your own use.</p><p id="0af6">And, let’s face it, these interactions help to “pay the rent” for you both.</p> <figure id="cbe1"> <div> <div> <img class="ratio" src="http://placehold.it/16x9"> <iframe class="" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2Fh34ozwhvYN8%3Ffeature%3Doembed&display_name=YouTube&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dh34ozwhvYN8&image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2Fh34ozwhvYN8%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=a19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" width="854"> </div> </div> </figure></iframe></div></div></figure><h2 id="6b2e">In a nutshell</h2><p id="5e5d">You have a say how Medium develops. You want it to attract writers like you — or writers you like — and have at least a bit of the enterprise be a fun and useful place to hang out, pay the rent.</p><p id="634f">Make a visit, read the articles, highlight something that catches your eye, make a comment, have a conversation.</p><p id="2bef">It can be like social media but let’s face it, Facebook and all the rest aren’t paying you, now are they? Not even a few cents for a long and thoughtful discussion with a friend.</p><p id="1fb7">They see you as targets for advertising.</p><p id="08b2">Medium doesn’t. From day one, no ads.</p><p id="240c">Just good articles well written. Go out and find them, follow their authors, pay their rent.</p><p id="a1cb">They’ll stay in business. And so will you.</p><p id="7f93"><i>Britni</i></p><figure id="8a0a"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*i0pdiq1d85bZQop52NJ4iA.jpeg"><figcaption>Life is good! — AI image by <a href="https://creator.nightcafe.studio/creation/CxeVpA84IKB88rullGNq">NightCafé</a></figcaption></figure></article></body>

Is age just a number?

My knee would never clap for this claim

Disclaimer: This is a purely illustrative photo of what anyone in their 30s and beyond should NEVER, under any circumstances, attempt to do at home on their own. Photo by Nikola Murniece on Unsplash

Hey there, fellow mid-thirty-something!

Yep, that’s you, teetering right between “Damn, I was (and let’s be real, still am) young!” and “Who invited these gray hairs to the party?” — this chat’s aimed right at your youthful, albeit occasionally creaky, heart. Now, if you’re floating toward forty or beyond with knees that whisper instead of shout, first off, what sorcery is this? Seriously, we’ll need your secrets after class. But hold off on the “I’ve always been flexible” humble brags for a sec. This is a call-out to the vast majority of us on planet Earth, the proud members of the “My body cracks more than my morning cereal” crew. Sit down, grab a cup of coffee (or perhaps an anti-inflammatory for that back pain), and let’s have a little chat.

Remember when we used to say, “Age is just a number”? Oh, the naivety! I'd love to see you chant that mantra when trying to rise from the couch and your knee sounds like popcorn popping.

Don’t get me wrong. The 30s are awesome! Now, I feel more confident, more free. I've got a ton of experience, and honestly, I'm soaking up every moment. That liberating sensation of not giving a damn about what others think? Ah, it’s divine! I've never felt so secure with a massive “SCREW IT” turned on towards everyone else’s opinions.

But dude, no one warned me about the weird stuff that would start happening to my body. Like, why do I suddenly have back pain when I’m just trying to grab the remote? And why have my knees decided to stage a mini-revolt against me? By the way, sometimes I feel like a terrible mom. Do you know why? When my youngest daughter is watching YouTube Kids, I deliberately skip the song “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”. There’s no better way to feel utterly ridiculous than trying to dance to that tune with my knees cracking like firecrackers. And they don’t let up! It’s KNEES AND TOES, KNEES AND TOES on a never-ending loop. If I danced to this, I would “knee”d help.

Speaking of revolts, remember those epic nights when the party would start on Thursday and only end on Sunday? I recall. I’d head into work practically turned inside out on Friday and feel on top of the world. Now? One single night out — let me detail my drama: from 8 pm to 11 pm, wrapping up when, back in the day, the party was just getting started — drinking (nowadays just 2–3 glasses does the trick, haha) with friends, and I wake up feeling like I’ve been run over by a truck. A hangover that lasted a few hours? Please, now it overstays its welcome for an entire week!

All in all, life after 30 is a rollercoaster. One moment you're feeling like the king or queen of the world, and the next, you're trawling through YouTube tutorials on how to properly stretch your back. But you know what? I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. Even with all the aches and weird noises my body makes, I'm living the best phase of my life.

So, to my dear knees: I apologize for all the extra work. But honestly? Brace yourselves. Because we’ve got a ton of life left ahead. And I plan on dancing through it all – even if it's a bit of a limping dance! 😉

"Age is just a number. It’s totally irrelevant unless, of course, you happen to be a bottle of wine." — Joan Collins

Is age just a number?

My knee would never clap for this claim

Hey there, fellow mid-thirty-something!

Well, if that's the case, I'm like a fine wine with a few unexpected corkscrews and maybe a splash of vinegar now and then. Cheers to that! 🍷

If this resonates with you, please feel free to share your thoughts and comments.